Gone and Back Again
by ArWen of sMirkwood
Summary: I'm sure all of us hated the fact that Boromir had to die,so......please Read and Review!
1. Default Chapter

I have to admit that I was much saddened and shocked by the death of Boromir when I started on LOTR thru the movie. I'm sure we all don't enjoy the idea of Boromir dead, so this is my version of what really happened to Boromir.  
  
This is a sort of prologue, about what happened in Lothlorien.  
  
Please, please, REVIEW, I love them!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm loaning the characters for a while ;-P  
  
The Fellowship trooped into the woods at the edge of the Elven land of Lothlorien. All around were rather dense foliage of thick trees in full leaf., and the ground was covered with green grass. It seemed like a pity even to walk on the grass.  
  
Legolas thought he could distinctly hear some footsteps and cocked his head. Without warning, they were suddenly surrounded by arrows. They were hemmed in by the group of seven golden-haired Elves who aimed their bows at them, ready to shoot.  
  
The Fellowship stopped short and stood stock still. Frodo looked up fearfully at the Elves who loomed above him. Frodo's eyes stopped at a particular Elf, who strongly resembled Legolas. The Elf's keen eyes were fixated on Legolas. The Elf, who seemed to be the leader, raised his hand and the other Elves lowered their bows.  
  
"You have been so careless in your approach that we have heard you from the borders of Moria," The head Elf said with a low laugh, much like Legolas's . "Fear not, we have received word from Rivendell to assist the Fellowship in their perilous quest to destroy the Ruling Ring. I am salogeL, brother of Legolas here. Our Lord and Lady wish to meet you. Follow us."  
  
"salogeL? Since when has Legolas had a brother?" Gimli gasped, his jaw hanging open.  
  
"Legolas and salogeL were born Siamese twins, joined in their butts.(writer's note: Legolas-salogeL…..joined in the 's'ses….geddit?)They were separated and salogeL was brought to Lothlorien while Legolas remained in Mirkwood," Aragorn said. Aragorn had been very close to Elrond and Arwen of Rivendell and through that association had gotten to know the folk of Mirkwood along the way.  
  
"That is why Legolas and salogeL look so alike," Frodo ventured loudly.  
  
"Indeed," Gimli declared rather skeptically. Legolas and salogeL were both looking at each other hesitantly, then they embraced and began to walk off ahead, apparently having forgotten about the rest of the Fellowship. The rest trooped behind them silently.  
  
Soon they approached a very beautiful setting. The tall towering trees were golden, and there were actually a path winding up and up the enormous tree trunk, lighted up by golden lamps, and looked altogether majestic and magnificent. The air was richly laced with the scents of flowers. They trudged up what seemed like endless stairs, reaching a platform by which time they were winded, even the Elves. Legolas and salogeL had been talking in low voices, obviously catching up after all the years they were separated. Lord Celebrate and Lady Galadriel stood up to welcome their guests. Lord Celebrate was a tall elf who exuded an air of power, strength, wisdom; Lady Galadriel was beautiful with long gold tresses, who exuded regality all over, and they were both clad in flowing white garb.  
  
"Welcome, my friends of the Fellowship!" Lord Celebrate said in his rich, warm baritone voice. His eyes traveled over every one of his guests. "Alas! I do not see my good friend Gandalf, who I would like to speak with dearly!"  
  
"He has perished in the depths of Moria, has he not?" Lady Galadriel's shrewd eyes sought the eyes of her guests.  
  
"Bless the poor wizard!" Galaudriel added with deep feeling. "But perhaps it was about time for him to die. He's old enough." They proceeded to have a grand feast to celebrate the Fellowship's arrival. Lord Celebrate was well-known throughout Middle Ice for his generous feasts to celebrate special occasions or to welcome guests, which were only second in stature to Elrond's feasts. Lord Celebrate always seemed to be celebrating anything and everything, and he spared no expense with the quality or quantity of the food, so anybody who was invited were always too eager to come.  
  
There were all kinds of delicacies laid on the tables—mushrooms of all kinds( much to the Hobbits' delight), pastries including the Elves' specialty which was elfins( which actually looked like muffins, though filled with delicious sweet green honey), bird's nest, sharks'fin, a very rare and delicious Elven wine called Qoo which tasted of a sweet grape, and many other succulent dishes, all done very well. Everybody feasted on the food, and Frodo felt his sagging spirits soar as he looked around at the beautiful surroundings and savoured the good food. Though it was nearly always winter in Middle Ice, most parts of Middle Ice generally did support the growth of vegetation, and the icy ground was covered by foliage so that the cold did not seep through to the atmosphere. Lothlorien was one such place. After the grand feast to celebrate the successful arrival of the Fellowship and to welcome the guests, there was merry singing and dancing, which lightened up the atmosphere, and improved the mood of the Company immensely.  
  
The Company soon forgot about their troubles, even Frodo, and immersed themselves totally in enjoying the party all-out.  
  
Unknown to the guests, Lady Galadriel had laced the wine with date- rape drugs (though of course she wasn't going to do anything untoward to her guests), except for Frodo's, as she wished to speak to him alone about the perilous mission, without anybody else knowing. Soon after the feast was ended, the guests retired to bed, feeling extremely sleepy, in the guest chambers.  
  
Frodo was restlessly tossing about in his bed, unable to drift off to sleep though physically he was rather weary, when he heard a voice in his head murmur, " Baggins…". He heard soft footsteps passing by his chamber and the swish of skirts. He clambered out of bed and tripped over something on the floor, crashing heavily, noisily and awkwardly onto the floor. Cursing under his breath, he picked himself up and looked towards Sam, who was sharing the chamber with him. Surprisingly (or rather, not surprisingly, since Sam was well under the effect of the date-rape drug), Sam still lay in a deep slumber, snoring softly. Frodo peeked around the doorway and ahead of him saw the white flowing garments and long, golden tresses of Galadriel as she seemed to float gracefully down the corridor. He tiptoed curiously after her and followed her down a long flight of steps, hearing a voice in his mind speaking his name again. He privately wondered why she didn't trip in the folds of her long white flowing dress. She stopped at a wooden basin in a clearing. Right at the end there was a beautiful waterfall that was tinkling cheerfully.  
  
Galaudriel turned to Frado, holding a silver jug in her hand which she filled with the water from the small waterfall.  
  
"Do you wish to look into The Mirror?" she enquired, as she poured the water into the basin. "You will see what has been, is and will be." Then she stepped away. Frodo stepped warily up to the basin of water and looked into the water, which was clear as crystal. He saw a series of terrible images that disturbed him considerably. Then he saw the Seeing Eye, which glared at him ferociously, and he felt himself starting to be pulled by some invisible force towards the water. He began to tremble with fear. With a cry he tried to resist, but he couldn't stop himself being pulled towards the water. Unexpectedly, he suddenly felt the icy water splash right onto him, startling him considerably, and then he was pulled further and further towards the basin, and then the basin became stuck onto his face! 


	2. still in Lothlorien

To my faithful readers of my other piece, What to do when u're obsessed with LOTR,  
  
I must apologize. I didn't realize that lists weren't allowed on fanfiction.net, and thus the story was removed(though fanfic.net sure took long enough to realize it was a list!I had 8/9 chaps up already) and I was subsequently banned from uploading. I didn't keep any backup copies of that piece, and so that whole piece is gone! My preciousssss isssss goooonnneeeee! I certainly hope though that all those who read it enjoyed it, and thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I promise, there will be more fanfic coming from me.  
  
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Gasping, his voice muffled by the basin stuck on his face, a petrified Frodo tried frantically to rip the basin off his face, but to no avail. Then the basin was removed from his face, and he heard the soft musical laughter of Galadriel.  
  
"I am sorry," she said, still chortling, "I should have warned you it would do this. It tends to misbehave once in a while." Frodo stood there flabbergasted, dripping wet and shivering as much from the coldness of the water as from fear. The expression on his face was so comical that it set Galadriel off tittering again. Finally she regained her composure and tried to retain her dignity. She called to one of the Elves, which Frodo was surprised to see still awake at this hour, and the Elf guided him to where he could change into dry clothing.  
  
Galadriel held Frodo's eyes with her huge, hypnotic blue eyes.  
  
"I can guess what you saw in the Mirror, for it is also in my mind. The mission to foil Sauron weighs heavy on your mind." She started to advance towards Frodo. A vague notion of foreboding arose in the back of Frodo's mind, but he couldn't tear his gaze from Galadriel. "I do not deny that I have long desired the Ruling Ring." She stepped closer, and Frodo, well under her spellbinding eyes, held out the Ring in his palm. His instincts urged him to run, immediately, but he seemed to be stuck to the ground. "You are so willing to give it to me." Her face suddenly began to twist into an evil snarl and she suddenly seemed much taller than she already was. Then just as suddenly, she returned to normal.  
  
"I shall remain Galadriel." She said, seemingly just as shaken as Frodo himself was. Her voice sounded heavy and defeated. "I have passed the test."  
  
"Who else would you be?" Frodo thought privately. "Gallopdriel?"  
  
Her steady gaze on Frodo didn't waver. " The Fellowship has broken up. It has already begun. I have seen through the thoughts of every member of the Fellowship. You know who I am speaking of." She paused dramatically. "To be a Ring-bearer is to be alone." She smiled at him. " Even the smallest person can change the course of the world. You have all my blessings in your perilous journey."  
  
"What is the Fellowship for if only I can complete the mission?" Frodo asked scornfully.  
  
"They are there just to sit pretty and be your accessories while you be a hero and destroy the Ring." Galadriel chuckled. "Seriously," her voice sobered, "judging from the number of times you fell over or put on the Ring and got stabbed at, they are there to bail you out. Mark my words, though. You must be very careful."  
  
Frodo bowed and knelt down respectfully in front of the Elven Queen, and she bent down to kiss his forehead, placing something into his hand. He looked down , and saw the most beautiful crystal on a gold chain that he had ever seen.  
  
"This is the Flame of Olympics," Galadriel said. "May it light up your journey, even in the darkest places." Then she headed out and soon was gone. Clasping the crystal tight in his fist, Frodo returned to his chamber and this time found sleep easy to come.  
  
Though it was nearly always winter in Middle Ice, most parts of Middle Ice generally did support the growth of vegetation, and the icy ground was covered by foliage so that the cold did not seep through to the atmosphere. Lothlorien was one such place. The Fellowship stayed in Lothlorien for nearly a week, resting and enjoying themselves and basking in the beauty, peace and serenity of the heavenly land. Soon, however, they had to gather their gear again and prepare to continue with the journey,. With heavy hearts, they set off in three boats that the Lord and Lady had provided.  
  
"Can I row?" Frodo asked as Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir started to pick up the oars. "I know how to! After all, I am supposed to be an extraordinary Hobbit."  
  
"No you cannot, Frodo," Aragorn said firmly. "There is a reason to account for my rowing instead of you."  
  
"Why not?" Frodo pouted. He looked obstinate. "What reason?" So Aragorn resignedly handed the oars to Frodo and they exchanged places. The boat became unbalanced in weight and started to tilt, dumping all three of them into the cold water.  
  
"I told you there was a reason," Aragorn said as he pushed back his wet hair. Sputtering, Frodo helped Sam climb back into the boat. Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas did the rowing(which was just as well since the Hobbits seemed to be useless at everything). They landed about 80 miles away on the shore of the meandering Anduin because they would have landed in the Niagara Falls if they had gone on. Aragorn announced that they would have to proceed on foot till they reached the Rinks. Sauron's fortress was located smack in the centre of the vast Rinks, in his land of Mordor. Though technically he owned only Mordor, he had control of the rest of the Rinks too, as it was too desolate to live in, and whoever who did live there was well under his control.  
  
They trudged warily through the woods that bordered the Rinks, with the Men, Legolas and Gimli looking out for any movement or sound that would indicate any enemies that was trying to set up an ambush. The atmosphere was tense and nobody spoke or even whispered. Sam walked ahead of the others for a bit as he was curious about the light that shone up ahead. Then they heard a yell from him, which grew softer until they could hear him no more! The Company stared at each other, each dreading the worst. They hurried up ahead in the direction of where Sam had gone, throwing all caution to the wind. Aragorn, who was at the head of the pack, stopped so suddenly that those behind him crashed into him, and like dominoes all of them tumbled down the slope at the edge of the forest!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
They tumbled helplessly down the slope and landed in a heap at the bottom of the slope.  
  
"Take your foot out of my neck," Aragorn grumbled as he sat up and groaned. "You fools, bumping right into me like that! I did not want you guys to go tumbling down the slope, and here you go doing just that."  
  
"That is not fair!" Boromir stated in indignation. "We could not stop in time." Finally managing to entangle themselves from each other, they sat there, realizing, to their immense relief, that they were merely bruised. Frodo tried to stand up to look for Sam but lost his balance on the slippery ice and fell again. It was then that they realized they were on the Rinks itself! Even Aragorn had not realized that they were on the Rinks, since he had never stepped foot on it himself. Sam had unwittingly led them into a shortcut through the woods to the Rinks.  
  
It was a desolate landscape indeed, with the icy ground stretching back for miles as far as they could see. The air was bitterly cold with an icy, biting wind that penetrated into the bones, and the Hobbits shivered and pulled their coats tightly around their bodies. As far as they could see there was absolutely nobody, and the sun shone bleakly and weakly in the afternoon sky. It was, for once, not snowing—snow was almost a permanent and continuous feature of the Rinks. Leafless trees and rocks lay scattered here and there on the landscape.  
  
Meanwhile, what had become of Sam? He had tumbled down the slope and had slid a good way on the slick ice on his backside. Everybody laughed at the forlorn look on his face, and the tense atmosphere lightened somewhat.  
  
Aragorn opened his pack and handed them blades, which he instructed everybody to fasten onto their boots so that they could walk without slipping and falling. Once that had been done, it looked as though they were wearing skates!  
  
Frodo stood up carefully and tried to move on the ice.Since he was not looking where he was going, he plowed right into Merry and Pippin who were trying to get up and sent them flying.  
  
  
  
Aragorn looked around warily. "There is not much cover here," he said nervously, "so we had better learn how to walk on the ice soon and go into hiding." The rest of them began to experiment with 'walking' on the ice, Aragorn found a small cave within some huge rocks, and they squeezed into the space and spent the bitter night there, drawing their warm clothing close around themselves and huddling up to each other as close as they could, though this was easy because the cave was so small that they were crammed like sardines in a can.  
  
They awoke to a bitterly cold morning, and outside it was even more dreary and bleak than it had been the previous day. It had begun to snow, though fortunately not very heavily.  
  
"It will be good cover from anyone who is watching the Rinks," Aragorn said, pleased. They had a scant breakfast, put on extra warm clothing, and then set off on their skates. The blustery wind blew mercilessly, penetrating through their coats and seeping deep into their bones. It was merely skating that was keeping them still reasonably warm.  
  
"Curse the wind!" Legolas snapped, annoyed. It is messing up my hair!" he was continuously pushing his long blond locks away from his face, and his hair was now rather messy and windswept, looking like a golden mop.  
  
"I can try to re-bond it for you," Boromir offered hesitantly, "though I am not very good at it."  
  
"If Gandalf was here….." Aragorn's voice trailed off, "He would have known how to re-bond your hair, Legolas. He must have picked up a few tips from Saruman ."  
  
So Legolas was forced to settle at combing back and re-plaiting his hair, since he didn't like the way Boromir did the re-bonding. He put on a hood attached to his cloak.  
  
Note: The Rinks may sound weird to you, but I have decided to make the land around Mordor a very icy place,, somewhat like the South Pole, and call it the Rinks.That's why they have to skate on it!LOL 


End file.
